Sotomayor Gets Her First ‘Nay’ Vote: Pat Roberts

By GottaLaff

The Party of No gets revved up via a Big Hey-I'm-A-Marine Blowhard:

[O]n Thursday morning, Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, apparently became the first senator to say aloud that he would vote against her confirmation.

On a KCMO-AM radio program back home in Kansas City Thursday morning, the host Chris Stigall asked Senator Roberts whether he would feel forced to vote for Ms. Sotomayor to avoid being labeled a “bigot.”

“I’m a Marine and nothing much scares me,” said Senator Roberts, a Republican. “That’s not going to be a consideration in my vote.”

Wow, I never realized what a macho guy Roberts was! A Marine qualifies him to vote down a qualified Latina for the Supremes! Gosharootie, that does take balls!

Earlier this week, he seemed to indicate that he would wait until he had time to further review her record. But on the radio program this morning, Senator Roberts said that he wasn’t inclined to reverse his opposition from 1998, when he and 28 other Republicans voted against her confirmation to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He continued:

“I voted no in 1998. I did not feel that she was appropriate on the Appeals Court. Since that time she has made statements on the role of the Appeals Court that I think is improper and incorrect.

“I think that we should be judging people not on race and gender or background or ethnicity or a very telling story. There are a lot of people that have that. My goodness, Clarence Thomas had that, and look what he got.

[...]

“With all due respect to the nominee and nothing personal, I do not plan to vote for her.”

Administration officials and fellow lawyers assert that her comments about how appeals courts can make policy have been misinterpreted.

I used to be a Girl Scout, so it doesn't scare me to say that Roberts is a dufus.